Bryce Perkins (born December 20, 1996) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

for the

Michigan Panthers The Michigan Panthers were a professional American football team based in Metro Detroit. The Panthers competed in the United States Football League (USFL) as a member of the Western Conference and Central Division. The team played its home gam ...

of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at

Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is one of the largest ...

, Arizona Western, and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

before signing with the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in 2020.

Early life

Perkins attended Chandler High School in

Chandler, Arizona Chandler is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and a suburb in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is the List of municipalities in Arizona, fourth-most populous city in Arizona ...

. As a senior, he led Chandler to their first state championship victory since 1949. During his high school career he passed for 5,332 yards with 70

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

s and had 26 rushing touchdowns. Perkins committed to

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

to play

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

College career

Arizona State

Perkins

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

his first year at Arizona State in 2015 and missed 2016 due to a broken neck.

Arizona Western College

He transferred to

Arizona Western College Arizona Western College (AWC) is a public community college in Yuma, Arizona. It offers associate degrees, occupational certificates, and transfer degrees. AWC also offers classes in Dateland, Parker, San Luis, Somerton, and Wellton. Aca ...

in 2017. In his lone season there he passed for 1,311 yards and seven touchdowns and rushed for 353 yards and four touchdowns.

Virginia

In 2018, Perkins transferred to the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

. Prior to the season, he was named the team's starter. He started all 13 games and set the school record for total offense in a single season with 3,603 yards and 34 touchdowns. He completed 225 of 349 passes for 2,680 yards with 25 touchdowns, nine

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...

s and rushed for 923 yards and nine touchdowns. Perkins returned to Virginia as the starting

for the 2019 season. Perkins started all 14 games for Virginia in 2019 and finished the season with 319 completions out of 495 pass attempts (64.4%) for 3,540 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He also had 227 carries for 769 rushing yards (3.4 yards per carry) and 11 touchdowns.

Statistics

Professional career

Los Angeles Rams

Perkins signed with the

as an undrafted free agent on April 25, 2020. He was waived by the team during final roster cuts on September 5, 2020, and signed to the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

the next day. He was elevated to the active roster on January 2 and 15, 2021, for the team's week 17 and divisional playoff games against the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

and

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

, and reverted to the practice squad after each game. On January 18, 2021, Perkins signed a reserve/futures contract with the Rams. Perkins was among players who received a Super Bowl ring for the Rams victory over the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

Super Bowl LVI Super Bowl LVI was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2021 NFL season, 2021 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion 2021 Los Angeles Rams season, Los Angeles ...

. He made his NFL debut in

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

filling in for

Matthew Stafford John Matthew Stafford (born February 7, 1988) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs football, Georg ...

in weeks 10–12 against the Cardinals,

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

, and

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

following injuries to Stafford and backup John Wolford. He threw the first touchdown pass of his professional career to

Van Jefferson Vanchi LaShawn Jefferson Jr. (born July 26, 1996) is an American professional American football, football wide receiver for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ole Miss Rebels football, ...

on November 27, 2022 in a loss to the Chiefs.

Michigan Panthers

On April 24, 2024 (after their Week 4 game), Perkins signed with the

of the United Football League (UFL). He was placed on Injured reserve on June 4. He re-signed with the team on August 26, 2024. In week 1 of 2025, Perkins made his UFL debut where he started and completed 16-of-19 passes for 163 yards and one touchdown in a 26–12 victory over the

Memphis Showboats The Memphis Showboats were an American football franchise in the United States Football League. They entered the league in its expansion in 1984 and made the 1985 playoffs, losing in the semifinal round to the Oakland Invaders. Perhaps the ...

. Perkins started the following week against the Birmingham Stallions, but the offense managed just one touchdown in the 12–21 defeat. The following week quarterback

Danny Etling Daniel Patrick Etling (born July 22, 1994) is an American professional football quarterback for the Michigan Panthers of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football for the Purdue Boilermakers and LSU Tigers, and was selected ...

received the start, but was replaced by Perkins after sustaining an injury. Perkins completed 17-of-23 passes for 193 yards and added two touchdowns on the ground to help the Panthers come from behind and defeat the

San Antonio Brahmas The San Antonio Brahmas are a professional American football team based in San Antonio, Texas. The Brahmas compete in the United Football League (UFL) as a member of the XFL Conference. The team is owned and operated by Dwayne Johnson's Alpha ...

26–23. For his performance he was named UFL offensive player of the week. In week 4, Perkins completed 15-of-22 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 45 rushing yards, earning him his second straight offensive player of the week. In week 5, Perkins would start the game 11-of-12 passing for 100 yards and a touchdown, but would be replaced by Danny Etling in the second quarter. Perkins would re-enter the game trailing 17-6, and would lead the Panthers to 3 consecutive scores. Perkins would finish 21-of-25 passing for 235 yards and 2 touchdowns in the 32-27 loss. The following week against the

DC Defenders The DC Defenders are a professional American football team based in Washington, D.C. The Defenders compete in the United Football League (2024), United Football League (UFL) as a member of the XFL Conference. The team was founded by Vince McMaho ...

, Perkins would lead the Panthers to a 38-14 win. He completed 13-of-18 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns, while also having 90 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. For his performance, Perkins would win his third offensive player of the week. At the end of the regular season, Perkins was announced for the 2025 All-UFL team. On June 10, 2025, Perkins was named the UFL's Offensive Player of the Year. Three days later, Perkins was named UFL MVP.

Career statistics

NFL

UFL

Personal life

His father, Bruce Perkins, played fullback at

and briefly in the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

. His uncle, Don Perkins, played eight seasons as a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

with the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

. His older brother, Paul Perkins, was also a running back in the NFL.

References

External links

Virginia Cavaliers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perkins, Bryce 1996 births Living people People from Queen Creek, Arizona Sportspeople from the Phoenix metropolitan area Players of American football from Arizona American football quarterbacks Arizona State Sun Devils football players Arizona Western Matadors football players Virginia Cavaliers football players Los Angeles Rams players 21st-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen Chandler High School (Arizona) alumni Michigan Panthers (2022) players